


No Die Hard marathon without Jack

by recklessDreamer



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode: s05e05 Jack + Kinematics + Safe Cracker + MgKNO3 + GTO, Fix-It, Gen, Jack Lives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-15 22:19:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28820607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/recklessDreamer/pseuds/recklessDreamer
Summary: During the Die Hard marathon in remembrance of Jack, Mac and Riley get an unexpectant visitor.
Relationships: Jack Dalton & Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016), Riley Davis & Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 83





	No Die Hard marathon without Jack

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is my fix it in which Jack is still alive because I think we all need more happy things in our lives right now (:  
> The beginning is still angsty, sorry.  
> Enjoy!

When Riley rang the bell to Macs door she could literally feel the dark circles underneath her eyes.

Last night had been bad. The thoughts about Jack had constanly been roaming through her head, so she had spent the whole night tossing and turning in her bed, until she had had enough and went playing video games as a distraction, while eating a whole pack of ice cream. Which hadn't really helped either. 

A couple of times, Riley had thought about calling Mac. She knew that he probably wouldn't slept any better. During the time she had lived with him for some months, she often had heard him rummaging in the kitchen or the living room in the middle of the night, in an attempt to flee from yet another nightmare. But then, she also had found out that sometimes, Mac just needed some time alone. Time to grieve by himself, without the need of appearing strong in front of the others. So she had repressed the urge of calling Macs number that she knew by heart by now. 

They would be there for each other all day anyway. 

When Mac opened the door, he looked like hell. He was pale and his eyes were red rimmed. His hair probably hadn't seen a comb in quite a while and the Metallica shirt he was wearing was much too big, hanging loosely around him. It was one of Jack's old shirts, she recognized and it was almost enough to make her burst out into tears again. 

Instead, she offered Mac a shaky grin and entered the house. She had to be strong for him. Riley didn't ask how he was doing and neither did he. 

"Bozer will be joining us later." Mac informed her, after closing the door behind her. He didn't mention Desi and secretly, Riley was glad about that. As much as she liked Desi, this was not something she was a part of. This was about their family. 

They entered the living room in silence, not quite sure what to say to each other. 

"I prepared the movies." Mac finally said, while fidgeting with a paper clip in his fingers. Riley wondered how many of those he had already re-formed since they’d heard of Jack's death. This one seemed to depict the letter J. Like Jack. 

"Great. I brought nachos." Riley pulled the gigantic back of nachos out of her back and tried to sound at least a little bit enthusiastic. "You know what Jack always used to say. No Die hart without-"  
"-without Nachos," Mac finished her sentence and a small smile tugged at his lips although it disappeared quickly again. "He always used to spread the crumbs all over my carpet." 

Yeah, that sounded like Jack. 

While Mac put on the first dvd, Riley sat down on the sofa and opened the back of nachos. When Mac came sitting down next to her she lifted it. "To Jack." 

Mac ran a hand over his eyes, before repeating, a bit more quietly, "To Jack." 

It was both incredibly hard and calming to watch Die hard. There were so many memories of Jack, and Mac and Riley remembered all the things Jack used to always say, when he watched the movie. 

After some time, Mac put an arm around Riley and she gladly sank into him, needing the comfort as much as he did. Somehow, she had the feeling that Macs arm was the only thing preventing her from breaking down completely. 

They were almost at the part, where John McClane would jump from the building, when Mac squeezed Rileys arm. "That is… was always his favorite part. I don't know how often I had to stop him from jumping off buildings on real missions, because of Die hard." 

On the screen, John McClane finally crashed through the window. Riley had to suppress a sob. “Here, Jack would always yell- “

“-Yippee Ki Yay”

Mac and Riley both shot up from their seats.

Because the last words hadn’t come from Riley. They'd come from a voice behind the sofa. A voice that Riley knew almost as good as her own.

She turned around.

And there was Jack. 

At first, Riley thought it must be some sort of mistake. An illusion. But after some blinking… There was Jack. Jack Dalton in his washed out Jeans, a John Cash shirt and his leather jacket, smiling broadly at them. 

"Hey, you started without me." 

With only two steps, Riley was in front of Jack. There were so many different emotions swirling within her, boiling up. Joy, so much joy, confusion, anger, surprise… 

In the end, the anger gained the upper hand first. She punched Jack square in the face. 

Surprised, he staggered back. "What was that for, kid?" he asked incredulously and, man, how much she'd missed him. 

"How could you?" She felt her voice shaking. "How could you, Jack. We thought you were dead. Dead! How could you do that to us?" 

"Alright, that's fair," Jack's fingers ran over the spot on his cheek where Riley had hit him, "I guess I owe you an explanation. I escaped from the explosion but before I could contact anyone, Kovac’s people got to me. And during the following days I was kind of... tied up, if you know what I mean, and let me tell you, those men were not-" Riley cut him off with a tight hug. "We missed you so much." Jack’s strong arms were around her in an instant, the feeling of protection and home flooding through her, that she thought she'd lost forever. 

“I’m here now, kid.” Jack answered.

They remembered Mac at the same moment. Reluctantly, Riley let go of Jack and turned around. Mac hadn’t moved at all since Jack had appeared. He was still standing next to the sofa, hands clenched into fists, his face not one of joy and surprise but of grieve and reluctance.

“Hey, buddy,” Jack said, and his voice was so much softer now. Mac's breathing was ragged. 

“Jack…” His voice broke when he said the name of his partner, his friend. Then he shook his head. “It’s not real. You can't be real. It’s all a dream.” Mac was rambling now. 

Riley almost heard Jack’s heart breaking at the same time as hers did. Mac had appeared so strong all the time. He had been completely focused on the mission and then, when they got Kovac, he had been there for Riley. Of course, she always knew that this could not be easy on him, but now he finally seemed to break down completely. How much loss could a man bear?

Mac’s voice got louder now, and more frantic, as he repeated the same words, over and over again, his hands turning white from clenching them at his sides. “It’s not real. It’s like last time. You were alive and then, when I woke up, you were dead again. It must be a dream. I don’t… I can’t....”

“Hey,” Jack took a step towards Mac but he backed away, almost as if he was afraid of Jack.

“It’s really me, buddy, come on. You want me to pinch you? If this was a dream, I’d be insulted by this shirt I’m wearing. I would definitely expect you to dream about me in a much cooler way. And with more hair.” Jack ran one hand over his head in a way that was so terribly familiar.

His words seemed to reach Mac only slowly.

“I must admit,” Jack continued, “I was damn close to dying, but it was the thought of you that kept me going. And here I am. The one and only Jack Dalton. Live and in colour.”

Riley could pinpoint the exact moment in which Mac finally grasped what really was happening.  
The way in which Mac's eyes widened, his hands opened… “Jack?”

And then, with what was half laugh and half sob, Mac flung himself into Jack's arms. It was like all dams broke at that moment, and Riley could hear Mac sobbing into Jack's shirt while the bigger man soothingly ran a hand over Macs back. “I’m here, buddy. I’m here for you…”

Riley almost felt like she was an intruder in this intimate moment. Mac was mumbling something incomprehensible and his hands were clenched into Jack’s shirt as if he was drowning and Jack was the only thing holding him over water. Riley almost thought that Mac would never let go, but after some minutes, Mac finally seemed to have caught himself again and he slowly let go of Jack. His eyes were red, but now there was a wide smile on his face. “Man, I can’t believe you’re really here.” 

Jack shrugged, smiling as well. “You don’t think Jack Dalton would be so easy to kill off.”

“But your funeral, and the dogtags…?”

“I planned on faking my own death, so Kovac's men wouldn’t search for me when she finally was dead. But then she survived and I got captured right after the explosion. I came here as soon as I escaped. Though, I am really pissed that I missed the funeral.”

“That’s not funny, Jack” Riley said, but despite her words, she couldn’t help but laugh a little. Jack, showing up at his own funeral would be such a Jack thing to do.

“I’m sorry I ruined your shirt.” Mac said now to Jack, pointing to the wet patch on Jack's shirt that came from Macs tears, but Jack only shrugged. “As long as you did not touch my phone,” he joked and Mac visibly relaxed.

“I’m sorry, I just need a minute.” With that, Mac vanished to the bathroom. 

As soon as Mac closed the door behind him, Jack turned to Riley. “He seems bad.”

Riley nodded. “The last months had been hard on him. Codex. His father and aunt dying and now you.” They had updated Jack about everything that had been going on during their regular calls, “but I think with you here, everything will be alright.” 

At that moment, Riley knew it was true. They really would be alright.

“So,” Jack changed the topic, “you drove my GTO?” Riley raised her arms in defense, “only because I thought you were… well. You’ll get it back.” 

“Nah,” Jack waved a hand dismissively, “you can keep it.” 

“What? I think maybe Mac was right. You can’t be the real Jack. Jack would never give that car away so what are you, a robot? A spy?”

“Oh, yeah, just make fun of me, Riles, when I’m trying to be nice. I just think that you will be a worthy owner of the GTO.”

Riley felt a surge of happiness at his words.

“You’re not getting sentimental, are you, old men?”

“Ha ha.”

How she had missed joking with Jack.

The bathroom door opened and Mac stepped out. He looked much better than before. The colour had returned to his face and the sorrow that had weighed so heavily on him, had seemed to push him down, was gone.

“I was thinking,” Mac said, “Now that you are technically dead, you could rise and become a vigilante or something like that.”

Jack laughed. “You know, Mac, I will be thinking about that. They could call me Muscleman. Or Jack McClane.”

Riley rolled her eyes. “You are such nerds.” 

Jack and Mac both shrugged simultaneously.

“Hey, how about we grab a beer and you tell me about how you defeated Kovac. I heard you built a machine gun, Mac.”

\----------------

They called the rest of the team to inform them about Jack’s reappearance and when Bozer and Matty rushed to Mac’s house immediately and they all sat together on Mac’s terrace, laughing and drinking beer, Riley felt like finally being home again.

She knew that they all still needed to recover from everything that had happened. She saw the disbelief in Mac’s face from time to time and how he clenched his fingers around a pointy paper-clip, as if to remind himself that it was all real. She noticed how Matty did not yet tease Jack as much as she normally would. Even Riley herself felt a faint spark of fear at the thought that this all could be just a dream. 

But although Jack probably had to go into hiding again, they were all just so incredibly happy that he was back, the wound his death had left, slowly healing again. And no matter what would happen in the future, Riley would always be happy to call all those great people her family.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for any mistakes, English is not my first language.


End file.
